Search “hardstyle festivals Australia”, and you’ll still find lists pointing you to Defqon.1 Australia. It last ran in 2018. Stereosonic still turns up on festival lists too, and it hasn’t run since 2015. Neither is happening this summer, no matter how confident the list sounds.
This calendar covers the major dance, hard dance and techno festivals in Australia from November 2026 to Easter 2027. To make the cut, a festival needed confirmed dates from the festival itself, its promoter or venue, or a government events listing.
Pop- and rock-led festivals with a few DJs on the bill are left out, as are club nights and anything whose dates couldn’t be confirmed. Dates and statuses were checked against official festival pages in late October 2026 and rechecked on 28 October.
The short version: Hypersonic announced on 28 October that its 20 November Melbourne and 21 November Sydney shows won’t go ahead, and ticket holders can take a refund or a free transfer to Dreamstate 2027 (details below).
Knockout Outdoor already happened on 3 October, so that one’s a wait for 2027. And Beyond The Valley and Lost Paradise are both sold out for New Year’s, and the official route in now is a resale waitlist. Strawberry Fields and Pitch have sold out too.
Ravers Warehouse sells rave clothing and has no relationship with any festival listed here.
The 2026–27 calendar at a glance
| Date | Festival | Where | Sound | Format | Status (as of late Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13–15 Nov | Subsonic | Riverwood Downs, Monkerai NSW | Deep house, techno, ambient, live electronic | Camping (cabins or riverside) | Tickets listed |
| 20–22 Nov (Thu entry needs a separate pass) | Strawberry Fields | Tocumwal NSW, on the Murray | Live and electronic, multiple stages | Camping | Sold out · Humanitix resale |
| Sat 21 Nov | Harbourlife | Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney NSW | House | Day · 18+ | Final tickets on sale |
| 27–30 Nov | A3 | Lardner Park, Gippsland VIC | Techno-focused electronic | Multi-day | Tickets listed |
| Sat 12 Dec | EPIK (HSU) | Venue and city not listed by HSU | HSU harder styles | Marked sold out by HSU | |
| 28 Dec – 1 Jan | Beyond The Valley | Barunah Plains, near Hesse VIC | Electronic-heavy, mixed bill | Camping · 18+ | Sold out · Tixel resale waitlist |
| 28 Dec – 1 Jan | Lost Paradise | Glenworth Valley, Central Coast NSW | Electronic-heavy, mixed bill | Camping · 18+ | Sold out · Tixel resale waitlist |
| Thu 31 Dec | Wildlands Brisbane | Brisbane Showgrounds, QLD | Electronic and rap | Day | General sale opened 6 Aug |
| Fri 1 Jan | Field Day | The Domain, Sydney NSW | Dance and electronic | Day · 18+ | On sale |
| Fri 1 Jan | Let Them Eat Cake | The Nursery at Flemington, Melbourne VIC | House, techno, club | Day | Availability not confirmed |
| Sat 2 Jan | Wildlands Perth | Arena Joondalup, WA | Electronic and rap | Day | General sale opened 6 Aug |
| Sat 23 Jan | KLASSIC (HSU) | Venue and city not listed by HSU | HSU harder styles | Marked sold out by HSU | |
| Sat 6 Feb | Dreamstate Sydney | Sydney Showground, NSW | Techno, trance, hard techno | Day · 18+ | Tickets listed |
| Sun 7 Feb | Dreamstate Melbourne | Flemington Racecourse, VIC | Techno, trance, hard techno | Day | Tickets listed |
| 5–8 Mar | Rainbow Spirit | Glenaroua VIC | Not stated for this edition | Multi-day | Tickets available |
| 5–9 Mar | Pitch Music & Arts | Near Moyston VIC | Techno and house | Camping | Sold out · Tixel waitlist |
| 25–29 Mar (Easter) | Rabbits Eat Lettuce | Bushland Hideaway, Dumaresq River QLD | House, techno, bass, psy, DnB, UKG | Camping | On sale; lineup not announced |
“18+” appears only where the festival, venue or council listing states it. A blank doesn’t mean all ages. It means nothing official could be confirmed, so check before you go. “Tickets listed” means a live ticket link, not a promise there’s anything left.
Hard dance and hardstyle
This is our home turf, so it gets the most room. Whether you’re deep in rawstyle or still a happy hard tragic, here’s the harder-styles summer: one fixture that’s already been, two HSU dates already marked sold out, and Dreamstate in two cities in February. Hypersonic was meant to be the big two-city day, but it’s been cancelled.
Knockout Outdoor: the annual fixture, already run for 2026
Knockout Outdoor is run by HSU Events, not Q-dance. Older lists still call it Knockout Circuz, its former name. HSU says it’s hosted every year at Sydney Showground on the first weekend of October.
The 2026 edition, “Level Up”, ran on Saturday 3 October, with more than 40 artists across three areas in and around ENGIE Stadium. Sydney Olympic Park Authority’s listing billed it as the largest harder-styles festival in the Southern Hemisphere and expected a crowd of 60,000.
If Knockout was the one you were planning around, you’ve missed it. No 2027 date had been announced when this was checked. Going by HSU’s own first-weekend-of-October pattern, early October 2027 is the likely slot, but that’s a read of the pattern, not an announcement. In the meantime, the top 10 hardstyle tracks will keep you going.
Hypersonic: cancelled for 2026
Hypersonic was due to run its second edition at Melbourne Showgrounds on Friday 20 November and Royal Randwick Racecourse on Saturday 21 November, presented by Symbiotic and Hardware. On 28 October, the festival announced that neither show will go ahead in 2026. It says scheduling conflicts pushed Melbourne to a Friday this year, that change didn’t work out for an all-day festival, and the flow-on impact meant it could no longer deliver the festivals to the standard its artists and audience deserve.
If you hold a ticket, the festival gives you three options:
- Refund. A full refund is processed automatically within 21 days, back to wherever you bought the ticket. You don’t need to do anything.
- Transfer to Dreamstate 2027. Fill out the Dreamstate Transfer Form within 7 days and your ticket moves across free of charge.
- Double Pass holders. Fill out the Double Pass Form within 7 days to keep your Dreamstate ticket and get a 50% refund. Otherwise, you get a full refund automatically.
The notice doesn’t put a calendar date on that 7-day window, so if you want the transfer or the Double Pass option, don’t sit on it. Symbiotic’s Hypersonic cancellation page covers the fine print, including ticket fees, resale listings and group orders.
HSU’s summer: EPIK and KLASSIC
HSU has two more dates this season: EPIK on Saturday 12 December 2026 and KLASSIC on Saturday 23 January 2027. KLASSIC is billed as a one-off, with 11 artists across five sets.
Both were marked sold out on HSU’s site when checked, and neither listed a venue or city. If you’re chasing a ticket, watch HSU’s own site for updates or any official resale rather than buying off a stranger.
Dreamstate: Sydney and Melbourne
Dreamstate is back at Sydney Showground on Saturday 6 February 2027, 18+, then plays Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on Sunday 7 February. Melbourne’s age limit wasn’t confirmed when checked. The Sydney venue lists the sound as techno, trance and hard techno, so expect harder techno rather than hardstyle. Symbiotic promotes both dates, and Hypersonic ticket holders can transfer to Dreamstate 2027 free of charge within the 7-day window covered above.
Already been in 2026: watch for 2027
A few harder events ran before this calendar starts. We found no 2027 dates for any of them as of late October, but their 2026 timing tells you roughly when to start looking:
- Sandbox, new in 2026: hard bounce, hard dance, hard techno and schranz in Brisbane (18 September), Sydney (19 September), Melbourne (25 September) and Perth (27 September).
- Gearbox, the rawstyle label’s event, made its Melbourne debut on 15 August 2026 at PICA in Port Melbourne, after a Sydney debut in April 2025.
- HTID, HSU’s January event, ran at Sydney Showground on 24 January 2026.
Techno, house and the camping festivals, month by month
Festival dates on this calendar by start month. Dreamstate’s Sydney and Melbourne shows count as two dates.
November
Subsonic (13–15 November) opens the calendar at Riverwood Downs in Monkerai, in the Barrington Tops foothills of NSW. It’s deep house, techno, ambient and live electronic, with cabins or riverside camping, and the announced lineup runs from A Guy Called Gerald and Steve Bug to Henry Saiz and Peter Van Hoesen. It suits heads who’d rather spend a weekend by the river than in a stadium queue.
Strawberry Fields runs 20–22 November at Tocumwal, NSW, on the Murray River. Tickets get you in from Friday, and arriving on Thursday 19 November needs a separate Thursday Entry Transport pass. General camping is free with entry, and there’s glamping too. Tickets went out by ballot this year (drawn 2 July), and the festival is now officially sold out. The only way to get a ticket now is the official Humanitix resale, and names are checked against ID at the gate, so the name on your ticket has to match. If you missed out, sort out a resale ticket before you plan the drive.
Harbourlife is a one-day house party on the Fleet Steps at Mrs Macquaries Point, Saturday 21 November, 2pm to 10pm, 18+. Honey Dijon tops the announced bill, with Max Dean b2b Luke Dean and Ben Sterling b2b Omar+.
A3 runs Friday 27 to Monday 30 November at Lardner Park near Warragul, in Gippsland. Novel, the promoter, calls it an interdisciplinary gathering of electronic music, and it leans techno. Camping and age details weren’t confirmed when checked.
Christmas to New Year’s Day
Beyond The Valley holds its 11th edition from 28 December to 1 January at Barunah Plains, near Hesse, about 126 km west of Melbourne. It’s strictly 18+ and sold out in presale, so the 7 August general sale never happened. The bill is electronic-heavy, with John Summit, Overmono, KI/KI, Job Jobse, Ewan McVicar and Armand Van Helden, plus hip hop, pop and rock names such as Skepta, Black Eyed Peas and Ocean Alley. The way in now is the official Tixel resale waitlist.
Lost Paradise runs the same dates in Glenworth Valley on the NSW Central Coast. It’s strictly 18+, GA camping comes with every ticket, and it’s sold out, with an official Tixel waitlist. If the lineup looks familiar, it should: John Summit, KI/KI and Overmono are on both bills. With the same dates and an overlapping lineup, the choice mostly comes down to which state you’d rather wake up in on 1 January.
Wildlands is the New Year’s option without a tent: Brisbane Showgrounds on 31 December, then Arena Joondalup in Perth on 2 January. The announced headliners are John Summit (who is clearly having an Australian summer), Skepta, KI/KI and Disco Lines, with WORSHIP. General sale opened on 6 August. Current availability and the age limit weren’t confirmed.
Field Day is New Year’s Day in The Domain, Sydney, strictly 18+. Major Lazer, Mall Grab, Sub Focus, Andy C, Boys Noize and Hannah Laing are on the bill. It’s on sale, and prices step up with each release, so the earlier you buy, the less you pay.
Let Them Eat Cake is also on 1 January, midday to 11pm, for its 14th edition. It’s moved, too, and is now at The Nursery at Flemington, not Werribee. Anetha, Joy Orbison, Lady Shaka, Jennifer Loveless and Chaos In The CBD are announced, and Boys Noize is on both this and Field Day, in different cities on the same day. The festival’s own site confirms the date and the Flemington venue; the rest, including the lineup and hours, comes from Resident Advisor’s September 2026 announcement report.
If you’re doing one of the multi-night camping festivals, our guide on how to pack for a music festival is worth a read before you load the car.
January and February
After Wildlands Perth on 2 January, the only dates on this calendar until March are HSU’s KLASSIC (23 January) and Dreamstate (6 February in Sydney, 7 February in Melbourne), both covered in the hard dance section above.
March and Easter
Rainbow Spirit, the festival formerly known as Rainbow Serpent, runs 5–8 March 2027 at Glenaroua, Victoria, and tickets are available. Its site doesn’t spell out the sound for this edition, so check the lineup before you commit.
Pitch Music & Arts runs 5–9 March 2027 near Moyston, Victoria, on Moyston Dunkeld Road. The festival describes itself as focused dance music, which leans techno and house, and the general campground is included in the entry pass. It’s sold out, with an official Tixel waitlist. It overlaps Rainbow Spirit almost day for day, both in Victoria, so if a waitlist ticket comes through, that weekend becomes a choice.
Rabbits Eat Lettuce takes the Easter long weekend, 25–29 March 2027, at Bushland Hideaway on the Dumaresq River in Queensland. It’s the 18th edition, with house, techno, bass, psytrance, drum and bass and UK garage on the genre list, plus camping, glamping and RV sites. The lineup hasn’t been announced, but tickets are on sale, and when checked, second-release tickets were due to end on 31 October. It has moved sites in recent years, so make sure any listing you’re reading says Bushland Hideaway.
Five days in a paddock at Easter is a different kind of outfit problem from a night at the Showground. What to wear to a music festival covers outdoor, all-day and camping outfits.
Not announced yet
These ran recently and haven’t put out 2027 dates as of late October 2026:
- Ultra Australia. The last two years both ran on 11–12 April. In 2026 that was Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne and Broadwater Parklands on the Gold Coast. When checked, the official Ultra Australia site still showed the 2026 dates, with nothing for 2027.
- Electric Island. In April 2026 it ran at Glenelg on 11 April, then Melbourne and Perth on 18–19 April. No 2027 dates had been announced.
- Knockout Outdoor and HTID. Both covered in the hard dance section. Neither has a 2027 date yet.
Festivals that have ended
If a list tells you to buy tickets for any of these, close the tab.
- Stereosonic. Last held in 2015. The organisers called 2016 a hiatus, and it never came back (Stereosonic’s history). If you miss that era, the top 10 oldskool EDM classics are there for the nostalgia.
- Defqon.1 Australia. It ran at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith from 2009 to 2018. The 2019 edition was cancelled after the venue withdrew its support, and it hasn’t returned (Defqon.1’s festival history). The Defqon.1 news you see now is about the original festival in the Netherlands.
- Elements Festival (QLD). The 2024 edition was cancelled and the company liquidated. The Elements Festival site says plainly that this is where the story ends.
Hardmission and Esoteric aren’t on this list. We found no 2026–27 edition of either when this was checked, which isn’t the same as them being finished.
Before you buy
- This year’s NYE on-sales were in early August. Beyond The Valley sold out in presale before its 7 August general sale, and Wildlands’ presales ran on 3 and 5 August. Lost Paradise is sold out too. Going by this year, be ready from around August if you want New Year’s sorted.
- Use official resale. Beyond The Valley, Lost Paradise and Pitch all point sold-out buyers to a waitlist on Tixel, the resale platform each festival links from its own site. Strawberry Fields’ only resale route is its official Humanitix resale. Either is a safer route than sending money to someone in the comments.
- 18+ means bring photo ID, and the physical card. Field Day is strictly 18+ and says you’ll need valid photo ID to enter. Beyond The Valley accepts NSW, VIC and SA digital driver licences, but even it recommends bringing the physical card in case of technical issues. Other festivals set their own rules, so read each one’s FAQ.
- Check the official link before you book travel. Every status here was rechecked on 28 October 2026, and some will have changed by the time you read this.
- Dressing for it. For Dreamstate and the HSU events, what to wear at a rave covers hardstyle and night outfits, and our hardstyle and old-skool tees are in the shop if you need a new one. For the camping festivals, the festival outfit guide above has it covered, and a hoodie earns its place in the bag once the sun goes down.
This page is updated each season. Check back for 2027 dates from Knockout, HTID, Ultra and Electric Island.